


Dimileth Week 2019

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dancing, Dimitri is too strong for his own good, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Married Couple, Modern Era, Video & Computer Games, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-26 11:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20741303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: Collection of ficlets for Dimileth Week 2019





	1. Betrayal

"Is this some kind of sick, twisted joke?"  
  
Dimitri's voice rose in anger. Every word dripped with malice, and his tone was saturated with ire.  
  
His only response was silence.  
  
"Answer me!" Dimitri roared. "Is this your doing?"  
  
The white-haired girl kept her gaze focused straight ahead. "I wish you would stop your shouting."  
  
Sensing the need to intervene, Byleth leaned forward to place a comforting hand on the blond's shoulder. "Dimitri, pleas-"  
  
Dimitri shrugged her off without even bothering to turn and look at her. His steely blue eyes pierced into Edelgard like icicles. Clearly, nothing could halt his rage. "I'm not stopping now," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Not even you can convince me otherwise, sensei. I'm sorry."  
  
Judging from his tone, he was not actually sorry at all.  
  
Edelgard finally lowered her arms and turned to look at the fuming young man. "This is so undignified of you, Dimitri," she sighed. "I don't suppose there's anything that I can do to placate you."  
  
Judging from her tone, she was not actually eager to make any concessions.  
  
Dimitri focused his fiery gaze directly on her. Blazing blue met a passive purple, as if she could not be bothered by his hostility or it did not concern her. As if, in the grand scheme of life, his rage was irrelevant.  
  
"You..." Dimitri's brow furrowed. "You can give me back what you've taken from me." Suddenly he tilted his head back and let his arms drop to his sides. The normally polite, courteous, caring boy broke out into a wild, uproarious laughter. Strained, but booming, laughter. "But it's too late for that, isn't it? Isn't it?"  
  
"Dimitri, that's enough!" Byleth pleaded. Seeing him in this savage, seething state was too much for her to bear. He looked as though he had been absolutely unhinged by Edelgard's actions. Some scathing words suddenly flashed through her mind. '_He acts like a prince, but don't be fooled_,' Felix had sneered. '_He's nothing but a feral boar_.'  
  
"He won't even listen to his sensei," Claude murmured. He ended his sentence with a whistle and raised his eyebrows. The scene unfolding in front of him had clearly piqued his interest, but he was attempting to stay off to the side as a mildly interested observer.  
  
Byleth felt a mild heat rush across her cheeks. "I... I wish you wouldn't call me sensei," she mumbled. "All I did was teach him how to play Mario Kart."  
  
"And now we all are going to regret that decision," Edelgard whispered woefully, gently shaking her head back and forth. "I knew he would be a sore loser."  
  
Her cold comment snapped Dimitri out of his laughing fit. "Whose fault is that, dare I ask?" he snapped. "How long were you holding that blue shell? Long enough to wait until you were in second place?" A scowl pulled down the edges of his mouth, like a scar on his usually gentle face. "I cannot believe you would stoop to such underhanded tactics, you vile woman." He spit angrily on the ground, as if washing a bad taste out of his mouth.  
  
"That's how the game works," Edelgard declared with a huff. She tossed her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. "Your inability to come up with appropriate tactics is none of my concern. You will be a horrible prime minister if you cannot plan ahead."  
  
Taking first place from right under his nose was harsh enough, but now mocking his future desires? "As if anyone would elect a heartless tyrant like you to be president!" he scoffed.  
  
"Hey now, heartless is a little-" Byleth began, but Claude cut her off.  
  
"Your highnesses," Claude butted in, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You act more like a haughty princess and a spoiled prince than anything else." His eyes danced with mischief even as both blonds turned to face him with glares that burned like flames. "How about we just move on to minigames? I'm dying to play Shine Thief."  
  
"I'm sure you are," Edelgard muttered under her breath. "Fair enough," she agreed more loudly. "Dimitri, we can settle this in a minigame competition."  
  
Dimitri shook his head rapidly. "One more race!" he pleaded. "I'm going to trample you and hang your head from the gates of Enba-"  
  
The feisty young man, who had been filled with the hot air of rage and passion just moments ago, gasped as a blue blur swept into his line of sight and took his breath away. Absolutely winded, he just stared with wide eyes at the petite nose pressed against his sharp one, the soft eyelashes that fluttered gently and tickled his cheeks, and the luscious navy locks that swept in from both sides, enclosing the pair in their own world. Finally he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink into Byleth's kiss, his chapped lips pressing against her juicy ones. Were his lips always this dry? Maybe he _had _been yelling too much.  
  
Dimitri leaned forward, and his teeth nipped the edge of her lip. She bit back harder, playfully, and then finally pulled back. Dimitri pouted for a split second but then regained his composure before their friends could see.  
  
"Better?" she panted, seemingly a little out of breath herself. Dimitri merely nodded, and she smiled in return. "You're getting carried away. Don't be so morbid," she chided him gently.  
  
Off to the side, Edelgard coughed loudly. "So... Shine Thief?" she asked, her cheeks nearly as red as her shirt. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Dimitri thought he detected a hint of envy in her tone.  
  
"Or do you two need to get a room?" Claude teased.  
  
"Let's s-start with cops and robbers!" Byleth suggested.  
  
"Why? So you can lock Dimitr- Dimitri!" Claude's glowing eyes grew wide in horror as he watched his friend's sweaty, embarrassed grip clench tighter onto his joycons.  
  
"Not again!" Edelgard exclaimed in exasperation. "That's the second one you've broken this month!"  
  
Maybe they should play Animal Crossing at their next game night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was for Day 1: Modern AU! I wanted to keep the modern aspect a surprise, haha! Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri fights against his demons. Byleth wants to help him stay grounded in reality.

A vast sea of black graced the heavens above, calm and undisturbed in the peaceful silence. No ripples or clouds blemished the sky. The only interruption across this seemingly endless display was the occasional star, twinkling softly and casting a gentle glow on the ground below. They illuminated treetops with a silver hue, bathing the ground in cool, ethereal light. Not even the crickets sang, nor did the owls hoot on this night. The world was enveloped in an almost supernatural tranquility, a unique environment through which most people slept, allowing themselves to travel to dreamland and escape into this fantasy realm through their subconscious.  
  
Unfortunately, King Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was an exception.   
  
Like a bolt of lightning that pierced the sky, the king's sudden cry cut through the silent night, shattering the still peace in the world outside. His sorrowful screams echoed around the castle walls and journeyed into the sky outside. Birds woke from their sleep and frantically flapped their wings to escape the perceived danger. A chilling breeze ruffled both the foliage of the forests above and the petals of flowers on the ground alike.  
  
As if she could feel this chill brought about by her husband's wails, Byleth felt a shiver run down her spine.   
  
Not again.  
  
"Get... get away," Dimitri moaned. "Please... let me be." He tossed and turned, throwing blankets everywhere. Byleth leaned over tentatively, afraid to wake him, but even more frightened by the thought of letting him continue to sleep.  
  
Dimitri managed to save her from making this decision when he bolted upright. "I've done what I can!" he cried. "So please... do not look at me with those pitiful eyes. Do not beg for more than I can give! Do not..."   
  
"Dimitri."  
  
Byleth scooted over and gently rested her fingertips on his shoulder. Her husband did not flinch away, so she dared to inch closer until she could wrap her slender arms around his chest. The circumference of her arms could barely encapsulate his broad physique, but she stretched out her arms and fingertips to their extent so that she could hold him tight. And she refused to let go.  
  
"Do not fill my ears with those woeful wails... those pleas that I cannot answer... those burdens that only I can bear..."  
  
"Dimitri," Byleth whispered again. Sweat dripped down his back, and she blew gently on his deltoids to cool him off.  
  
Suddenly he became aware of her presence, and his body became as tense and rigid as a board. "M-my beloved," he whispered. "Oh, my beloved Byleth..." He reached up his hands, his massive but shaky hands, and he carefully rested them atop her tiny, but stable, ones.  
  
"I'm here," she murmured into his ear. "They are not, but I am."  
  
"How can I be certain?" Dimitri mumbled back. "They feel so lifelike... their voices are so loud... they echo in my ears even now..." He gazed forward with his eyes glazed over. Still trembling, he lifted one hand and extended it in front of him. "King Lambert, my father, stands before me right now. I can touch him if I try. I can... hug him once more...." He cried out once again, and frantically reached up to hold his head in his hands. Sweat began to fall profusely from his forehead, dripping off of his soggy blond bangs.  
  
Byleth pressed her chest against his back, and the sudden sensation of skin against skin seemed to snap Dimitri out of his stupor. "Dimitri," she breathed into his ear. What could she do for him, other than reassure him of her presence? When, in this state, he was thoroughly convinced that even she could be an illusion?  
  
A soft, squeaky voice at the door caught Byleth's attention. "Mama? Papa?"  
  
Byleth poked her head over Dimitri's shoulder to catch a view of the petite green-haired child staring at her with his wide, heterochromatic eyes. "Mama? Is Papa okay?"  
  
Byleth carefully pried her now sticky arms off of her husband's chest, and she pulled her blankets up to her chin before scooting out to face the prince. "Ariel, baby," she whispered. "Papa is okay. He just... had another bad dream."  
  
Ariel stepped fully into the doorway, where they could look fully over both of their parents. They tightly hugged a small, fluffy lion toy into their chest. "Another?" he echoed, and a fretful frown settled onto his face. "Shall I pray for him, Mama?"  
  
Byleth raised a hand to her heart. She opened her mouth to speak, but Byleth herself had no words. "Yes, my dear. Pray for him. Sothis will surely answer your honest, loving prayers," Byleth's mouth told him, her emerald eyes glistening with wisdom. Where did this confidence come from? She glanced to the side at Dimitri, who had apparently managed to come to his senses after listening to the voices of his two dearest beloveds. He had stood up and walked over to stroke Ariel's moppy seafoam locks.   
  
Maybe Byleth should pray for him to overcome his struggles, too.

Maybe Sothis would speak to her once again. 

* * *

  
Another silent night outside.  
  
Another restless night in the royal bedroom.  
  
"Dimitri," Byleth whispered. Some peculiar dreams had come to her that night as well, and with a renewed sense of purpose, she was determined to help Dimitri this time. To help him forevermore.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Byleth flung off her blankets and threw herself onto Dimitri's lap. She planted her legs on either side of his, and she flung her arms forward to capture his quivering body in the biggest bear hug she could manage.

  
"Hold onto me," she murmured into his ear. "Focus on my voice. Can you hear me?"  
  
Dimitri's violent shaking began to subside slightly. He nodded slowly, and he whispered back, "I hear you, my beloved."  
  
That was only step one. Byleth took another deep, somewhat unsteady, breath. She was going to ground him in reality and take him away from the nightmares that plagued him and blurred his understanding of what was real and what was not. "Focus on my voice," she repeated. "Let that be the only thing you hear. Now... look around your room. Find two things that are blue."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Trust me," Byleth whispered. "Find two things that are blue."  
  
Dimitri craned his neck around, careful not to disturb his wife's head that rested on his shoulder. "I see... the old banner of the Blue Lions," he murmured, a tinge of emotion coating his tone. "And the blue fabric on my cloak."  
  
"Good, good," Byleth murmured. "Now name three things you can smell."  
  
"Smell?" Dimitri repeated. Part of him wanted to protest or at least ask his wife's intentions, but the majority of him was grateful for the distraction, whether he was aware of that fact or not. "I smell... you." His face began to turn red. "You smell like roses... and like citrus. Is that a new scent?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Dorothea lent it to me. Now find a third scent."  
  
Dimitri nodded in approval. "I like it," he said with a small smile. "I also smell... oh goddess, is that me? Am I sweating?" Now his face became even redder. "I stink. Yet you're still holding me."  
  
Byleth nuzzled into his neck. "That I am," she agreed. "I am here. Can you name four things that you feel?"  
  
"Your soft, supple skin on mine," Dimitri responded immediately. "Your hair, which is actually tickling my chin," he informed her with a small chuckle. "These blankets, which are honestly becoming a little too hot," he admitted as he tried to kick them off. Byleth reached down to throw them off and then wrap her legs tighter around him. "I would say your legs, but that's probably cheating."  
  
"It is."  
  
"They are not as soft as your face, though. It's a different texture."  
  
Byleth frowned. She leaned back to gaze directly into his eyes. "Is that a problem?"  
  
Dimitri rapidly shook his head, sending his messy blond locks into a ruffled mess. "No, my beloved. I love every inch of you, and all of your scars."  
  
"Good." Byleth rested her chin atop his shoulder again, and she whispered, "Find a fourth thing." Maybe she could at least give him a hand. She turned her head and pressed her lips against the side of his broad neck, kissing him softly.  
  
"Your lips... is that ch- your teeth!" Dimitri gasped as his wife began to nip at him. "Oh, so that's how you want to play, is it?" He growled softly and reached up to pry his wife's face from his neck. Before she could protest, he leaned in and began to dot her neck, collar, and breasts with fierce kisses and tender bites.   
  
The two of them continued to dance around each other's bodies, laughing and smiling all the while. They were lost in their own reality.  
  
Byleth could not help but feel pleased when she saw the relaxed look on her husband's face. Her prayers to Sothis had been answered.  
  
Just like every other battle in their life, Byleth was going to ensure that he did not fight against his demons alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sothis's treatment that she revealed to Byleth is actually a method from a psychologist! If you're ever feeling anxiety, try grounding yourself by naming one thing you can hear, two blue things you can see, three you can taste, etc. I left out taste because our boy can't taste. :(


	3. Wedding

He never imagined that she would survive childbirth. But she did.

He never imagined that she would be able to escape the fire with him. But she did.

He never imagined that she would be able to wield a sword with sizable strength. But she did.

He never imagined that she would take to the harsh life of a mercenary. But she did.

He never imagined that she would befriend the brats at the monastery. But she did.

He never imagined that she would ever cry. But she did. 

That was Jeralt's most vivid memory of his life, and ironically enough, it was the time of his death. The moments when he was dying were the moments when his dear daughter had first looked so alive.

There were many instances since his death that Jeralt had yearned to be able to be by his daughter's side once again. He wanted to lend her his strength in battle when she took a blow from an axe. He wanted to lend her his guidance when she struggled with lesson plans. He wanted to prop her up when she drifted into the darkness for five long years, when even he had lost track of her from his lofty perch in the heavens. He wanted to console her when Prince-- now King-- Dimitri was in his state of spiraling depression and irrational madness. He wanted to lend her a shoulder to cry on, should she ever shed tears again.

However, watching as Alois linked arms with his daughter and walked her through the glistening white flower petals along an elegant, blue velvet pathway, Jeralt wished harder than ever before that he could stand beside her once more.

Seeing Alois's salt and pepper hair and faded mustache, Jeralt allowed himself to chuckle. He hadn't a single wrinkle on his face, though, except around his eyes and his dimples. Apparently laughter kept the man young, despite his experiences and his brushes with death. "You've aged well," Jeralt murmured. Would he have looked as pleasant and hearty at that age?

The person who really took his breath away, however, was Byleth. With every step she took in those frighteningly tall shoes, he could see her calf muscles rippling. With every shuffle of the bouquet in her hands, he could see the callouses on her fingertips. As she raised her arm to brush a strand of seafoam green hair out of her face-- and he still could not believe the shade that her hair and eyes had taken after his death-- he could see both the faded and fresh scars that painted her arms like brush strokes. 'Even the archbishop has it rough,' he thought with a slight frown. Maybe his daughter just could not give up her life of fighting. Battle had become instinctual to her.

Maybe it was justice that had become second nature to the archbishop.

Jeralt may not have been able to physically attend the wedding, but he had the best seat in the entire house. From his point of view way above, he could experience this momentous occasion in its entirety. 

Soft bells chimed as a chilly breeze blew through the window, and their gentle rings mingled with the echoes of the grand piano. Concealed by mortal ears but available to him were the whispers of their friends, who watched on with pride and envy. Another breeze fluttered past, ruffling Byleth's hair and stirring up the veil that billowed behind her. He watched as goosebumps began to rise on his daughter's neck, and he felt a smile creep onto his lips. Faerghus was far north, after all, and Fhirdiad especially so. They never dared to venture all the way to the capital during their lives as mercenaries. The faint aroma of rose petals and perfumes wafted up into the sky, so vivid that Jeralt could imagine he was pressing his face against them. Every part of his soul was filled to the brim with the sights, sensations, sounds, and smells of the wedding. But he would trade his omniscient viewpoint to be able to attend physically.

Jeralt wished he could be standing beside his daughter, just so she could know that he wanted to offer her his wholehearted support. As a father, he wanted nothing but happiness and success for her.

Could he entrust that happiness to Dimitri?

When he saw how the king's face lit up as he watched Byleth walk down the aisle, Jeralt felt his own heart begin to swell. When he saw how Byleth's face turned bright pink as she made eye contact with her fiancee, Jeralt wondered if maybe her own heart was beating for the first time. If anyone could make her happy and give her peace and bliss for the rest of her life, it was King Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. 

"You may now kiss the bride."

He never imagined that his little princess would become a beautiful queen. But she did.


	4. Vows and Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their wedding night, Byleth and Dimitri reminisce on a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Days 5/6: Dance/Memory

_'I doubt there are many who really believe that wishes can be granted.'_

Cold, simple, matter-of-fact words.

_'The goddess just watches over us from above.... That is all.'_

Did he still believe these words that he had uttered so many years ago?

"You may now kiss the bride."

As he gingerly pulled back the veil, Dimitri's gaze softened as he finally was able to look directly at his new wife's face. Her emerald green eyes, her perky nose, her rosy, flustered cheeks, and the warm smile on her painted pink lips. 

He stepped forward and caressed her jawline then closed his eyes and pulled himself in for a kiss. With that single, fluid motion, Dimitri's mind left the present and faded into a different world. Time froze as he sank into his wife's embrace, and her hot breath on his lips was comforting and enticing. He could not taste her kiss, but every other sense of his was filled with her presence. Her tender touch, her sweet scent, her whispered words.

"I love you, Dimitri."

When he pulled back and looked up and down at his beloved once again, his heart swelled with warmth and wonder upon seeing her flushed face once again. Her genuine smiles were few and far between, but here she was, absolutely beaming at him with the corners of her mouth upturned in a glimmering glossy grin.

"My beloved," he whispered back as he leaned in for another kiss.

They prepared to fall into each other once again, but an exasperated cry from one of the groomsmen stopped them before they became too engrossed in their own world again.

"You have all the time in the world to do that!" Sylvain called from the side of the altar. "Festivites first, friskiness later-"

He didn't get to finish his thought before Ingrid smacked him on the back of his head.

Dimitri immediately unraveled his arms from his wife's waist and stepped back, blushing profusely. However, if he was not mistaken... Did Byleth _chuckle _at this friendly, foolish display? 

'She has changed over the years,' Dimitri thought, and he could not help but smile internally. She had grown livelier and friendlier, more socially aware, while never losing her edge or her commanding presence. 'Then again... I have changed too.'

Both changes, without a doubt, were for the better.

* * *

"The first dance belongs to the bride and groom!" Alois cried. The stars twinkled overhead as the guests stepped towards the center of the monastery gardens. They would have another grand ball in the Fhirdiad castle soon, but for their exchange of vows, Byleth had specially requested that they be at the Garreg Mach cathedral.

After all, this place held a whole slew of memories for the two of them.

"M-my beloved?" Dimitri motioned to the mint-haired beauty before him, extending his hand out with a dramatic flourish. "May I have this dance?"

_"The goddess would never so much as offer her hand."_

For what must have been the fifth time that night -- a new record -- Byleth smiled brightly back at him. She reached forward and clenched his hand tightly. "I've been waiting more than five years for you to ask," she murmured into his ear as he pulled her into his chest. His heart began to beat rapidly, and he silently willed it to calm down. It thumped with such intensity that it must have also been shaking Byleth's own chest and vibrating against her heart.

For the first time, their two hearts were beating as one.

Soft music began to play, and Dimitri took his cue to take the lead. He grabbed her waist with one hand, and with the other he intertwined his thick, large fingers with her thin, tiny ones. Delicately he stepped forward, and Byleth stepped back. Gracefully he sidestepped, and Byleth followed a little more clumsily. "Careful," he cooed. "I shall lead, so all you have to do is follow."

"Following is... difficult," Byleth muttered under her breath, quietly enough so that only Dimitri could hear. The king stifled a chuckle as he dipped Byleth down and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Not used to dancing, I assume?" Dimitri murmured with a mischievous glint in his eye. He pulled her back up and simply swayed back and forth with her for a moment, allowing her to gather her balance again.

"I grew up as a mercenary, not a monarch," Byleth reminded him bluntly. She moved in time with the music, but largely due to Dimitri's steady body guiding her way.

Dimitri stepped back again, and when Byleth skipped forward her heel drove directly into his foot. She leaped backward immediately, nearly knocking her glittering tiara off of her head. Emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds all reflected the starlight above and cast glittering specks of light into the air around them. Nevertheless, King Dimitri would insist that the most magnificent jewel at the wedding was the one he held in his hands.

Dimitri skipped to the side again, taking Byleth in tow. He spun around, and her white dress caught and reflected the sparkling starlight as the train billowed out behind her.

Finally Dimitri pulled Byleth in close to his chest again as the melody surrounding them began to fade away. She rested her cheek against his shoulder for a moment, then with a gentle hand she brushed some shaggy blonde locks away from his eye.

Before she could draw her slender fingers away, the king hastily reached up to take her palm in his own. Hopefully she would not notice it was sweating. Although her hand was only half the size of his, she gave it a reassuring squeeze with all of her might. And that was enough to convince him that this was real, that she was real. 

_"Even if she reached out her hand, we lack the means to grasp it."_

Who knew his goddess's hands would be so warm?

If either of them stumbled in their roles, the other would always be there to catch them.

* * *

"It's quiet here."

A gentle breeze tickled King Dimitri's nose as he walked out to the Goddess Tower, where a glistening tiara cast its light onto the stone walls, painting them in speckles. 

"I am... not accustomed to dancing," Byleth murmured simply. "Sorry for stepping on you so many times," she added. Although she was not one to normally get flustered, he could see that her ashen cheeks were tinted with pink. 

"Ah, but you were a mercenary," Dimitri mused, rubbing his freshly shaven chin. "You excel at evading axes, lances, and even magic. You should be able to follow a couple of steps, no?"

"You must not make such assumptions, Your Highness," Byleth huffed, her cheeks still rosy with embarassment. "That is not professional for you as a leader or a warrior."

"Is that so? Maybe my professor did not teach me well." When her visage changed to narrowed eyes and pursed lips, Dimitri hastily added onto his teasing remark, "You must admit I've improved in the art of joke telling!"

_"Well now, Professor! You must admit I've improved in the art of joke telling!"_

Except that time, he had not been making a jest at all.

"Say, Profess- My beloved?" For once, Dimitri found himself unable to look at her. He instead glanced upwards at the sky as he continued to speak. "Do you remember our meeting here all those years ago?"

Although he could not see her face, Dimitri imagined that she might be surprised by this sudden question. However, her tone conveyed something entirely different.

"Yes."

That caught Dimitri's attention. Despite his awkward state, his head jerked back down to gaze at his wife.

Now he understood why he could not face her directly a moment ago.

With her pale face reflecting the starlight, the gems on her tiara, and the emerald glittering in the ring gracing her finger, she was absolutely blinding.

"I could never forget it."

The two of them stood there in silence for a moment that felt like five years.

Finally, Dimitri worked up the courage to ask, "Do you remember the wish I made?"

Byleth tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We wished for a world where nobody we care about would ever be taken unjustly from us again."

_"Have you come to haunt me too?"_ The first time that Dimitri saw Byleth after she went missing for five years, he was thoroughly convinced that she was a ghost. Another spectre seeking revenge, living vicariously through the sole survivor of tragedy after tragedy. By that point, he had already lost faith in the goddess.

Still, with every soul he struck down, he prayed for their salvation.

With every sleepless night, he prayed that his loved ones would be able to rest.

He never dared to pray for her to return to him. That would have been far too selfish.

But the goddess had granted their wish. She had not taken Byleth away. On the contrary, she brought his beloved back to him.

"Do you... remember the other wish I made?"

Byleth tilted her head to the side, looking puzzled. 

"O-of course you would not remember. I do not blame you! I asked you to forget, after all." Dimitri began stuttering and stumbling over his words. Maybe it was for the best that Byleth did not remember his own selfish wish. Another wish that he did not deserve to have granted. 

But once again, the goddess had granted it. Maybe there was something to the legend of the Goddess Tower after all.

"I could never forget it," Byleth repeated simply. Her eyes shifted to the tower for a moment.

"We should probably head back to the festivities," Dimitri cut in. "I cannot keep you all to myself, after all."

Byleth nodded slowly. "While we are here, though," she began, "shall we make another wish?" She smiled softly as Dimitri opened his mouth to protest. "I am the archbishop," she pointed out before he could object. "It may not be the night of the ball, but maybe our wish will still come true."

The bride extended her hand, and Dimitri happily wrapped both of his around it. "Yes, my beloved." His beloved. His goddess.

_"Perhaps I should wish that we will be together forever."_


End file.
